Night Stalker | Goose Island Beer Co.

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S: Unique for a double/imperial stout - very hop forward with some citrusy notes, almost a whiff of OJ-like juicy sweetness. Surprisingly I'm not getting a lot of the familiar, roasted/toasted characteristic of an RIS; however, this is definitely a sweet treat on the nose - loads of sugary caramel and chocolate.

T: Again unlike any imperial I've had as this is very hop forward with a resiny/citrusy bite followed by a blast of sweet molasses flavor and then the familiar notes of chocolate, coffee and toasted grain. Aftertaste starts to dry a bit leaving lingering notes of powdered cocoa and a faint biscuit/dough flavor. Pretty smooth overall, which is surprising considering how the hops come on heavy at first, but then gives way to on-rushing chocolate and roasted coffee notes that I love. Extra rich flavors.

M: Very creamy and thick.

D: Rich and pretty sweet, a sipper thats for sure. Alcohol is not too upfront but it slowly creeps in to play as the glass warms.

Nice choice. Been wanting to try this one for a while, ever since I read about it being on tap at the Goose Island brewpub in Chicago. Just happened to stumble upon a bottle in a local shop recently and I thought what could be more perfect than to try this one for review 100?

This beer is black. It is topped with an inch of tan head with a little lacing.

There is an aroma of dark fruit, roasted malt, dark chocolate, and a hint of anise.

The taste is consistent with the smell. However, an almost burnt taste develops after about half a bottle. There are some intense flavors and may be overwhelming my palate. There is a persistent faded hops taste. It reminds me a little of tea in the background. Then the anise whisks it away.

It is a thick, sticky, viscous brew. Right in my wheelhouse.

This is another hoppy "insert beer style here" beer that I cellared without realizing that it was a hopped up version of the style. It was a good beer regardless, but I bought it within a month of bottling and just got around to drinking two years later. I guess I need quicker turnover and some interns to study all my purchases. I think I'll call my venture Kramerica Industries.

Pours jet black into a imperial nonic,a frothy mocha colored head atop.An awesome mix of citric hop,chocolate malt,hardwood,and sweet cherries in the nose,a whole lot of good shite goin on.Full on creaminess in the mouth,chewey but smooth,basically perfect in my opinion,it coats but goes down with ease.The hoppiest big stout I have ever had,resiny and woody at the onset,dark fruit and semi sweet chocolate round out the palate,big roast thru the finish.This is everything I expected,just some much good stuff going on,a fantastic beer.

Reviewed from notes crafted a couple of days ago, 12-17-10. Served straight out of the cellar.

Night Stalker appears black with brown and ruby hues along the edges. The head tops off at 1/2 to 3/4 of a finger after a medium pour into a large snifter. A lively swirl of wispy cloud-like subtance on a dark summer night remain atop the body, with a dark brown froth 'round the edge of the glass. Lacing on the glass shows as thick, streaky lines and large dots.

Huge aromas blossom out of the glass, headlined by a rather sherry or bourbon-like liquor scent and big, roasted dark malts. Dark chocolate, caramel, anise, and tart dark fruits lie low in the smell profile. There is a bit of worn leather and some coffee notes in the bouquet, as well.

The alcohol content is very pronounced at the beginning and through the middle of the sip, which couples with some sweet citric flavors of tangerine and lemon. The sweet booze then transitions to rich, creamy flavors of vanilla, dark chocolate, toffe, and caramel which land squarely on the flat of my tongue. That middle, creamy section of the beer lasts for awhile and then rounds into a finish which has a fine semi-bitter coffee and cocoa flavor. I'm really digging how this beer morphs.

The mouthfeel is a ROLLERCOATER! It goes from stinging and sweet on the sides of the palate to syrupy and coating on my tongue to a lasting residual bitterness on all points of my palate. The carbonation is very low, but it fits the total character of the beer perfectly.

Despite the huge contribution of a liquor flavor, I find this beer to be quite drinkable. The booziness is somehow less offensive than it is in some other beers of this high of an a.b.v. It is a delicious treat, and I will certainly purchase it when I am in the mood for a big, badass Imperial Stout.

This was bottled on 03/06/2010
A: Jet black with a creamy dark tan head. The long lasting head leaves lacing on the glass.

S: There is a moderate roast and umami aroma, somewhat like soy sauce but not in a triple bock foul manner. There are light note of bitter chocolate and coffee. A little flowery alcohol some prunes and little else, no hops as well.

T: Bitter chocolate with a strong bite of hops bitterness followed by strong alcohol; a one, two punch on the first sip. The roasty and malt flavors a moderately strong. The hops flavor is all but gone. There is a moderate amount of dark fruit flavors like prunes, figs and plums going on in there. While there is a moderate to moderately-low malt sweetness going on the balance is moderately bitter, with the hops bitterness having some of that sting like there are some fine particles of hops floating in there when I've gotten the dregs from a dry hopped keg but without that fierce intensity. The dark malt isn't bring all that much bitterness to the beer. The finish is moderately sweet with a lingering bitterness and touch of lemon, maybe there is some citrus hop flavors still kicking.

M: A smooth, thick full bodied beer with a moderately-high amount of carbonation. sure there is warmth but not nearly what you'd think given the 11.7 % ABV.

O: This beer still has a ton of flavor with the flavors having mellowed and blended over time. However the hophead in me want the big hops flavor from this beers youth. Each sip is still bringing layers and layers of flavor but when it was fresh the enormous hops flavors and aromas we matched by the big roasty malt character. The aroma is getting board line unappealing. Fresh this was as close to perfection as I've ever had and I will still seek it out.

Pours black with a fair amount of viscosity and happens to be impossible to get any head to form.

The alcohol, along with spruce tip hops, happens to be really noticeable in the nose, maybe some coffee in there among the profound hoppiness. Stings the nostrils a bit. It's not as complex as I had hoped, but as it gets closer to room temperature the hops do fade a bit, in it's favor.

The taste is pretty good. It's got sprucy pine resins throughout with a mildly chocolaty, clovey finish. I'm not crazy about its hop profile, it sort of has a cigar box thing going on. As it warms it opens up a little more variety, but in the end I'm not sure if the hops are working for it. I'll definitely give it more chances down the road. The mouthfeel is fine, full bodied with light carbonation, making for a pretty smooth experience. The alcohol doesn't hold it back too much.

This is powerful stuff, and I have to say, I'm still on the fence, but as it has time to warm, it's growing on me.

22oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass, bottled 2/19/10 so drank when 2.5 months old but kept cold in order to preserve hop profile

It pours pitch black with a three finger head that leaves just a small layer of foam when it dies down.

A hoppy stout indeed, although I'm having a problem pinpointing the particular influences the hop has on the smell. The smell is so thick with dark chocolate and coffee that any of the delicate hop aroma are lost on me besides that I can tell that this was definitely dry-hopped.

The flavor is, I guess, confusing. All of the attributes of a thick viscous stout are there with a firm bitterness cutting through all that. The roasted coffee is ever so present and then a once again vague hop flavor takes over and the sip ends pretty neutrally. The best thing about this hoppy stout is that the sweetness of a beer this size is cut way down and makes for a rather balanced beer. There isn't much wrong with this beer, but I don't think I will fall in love with hoppy stouts. I feel that it takes everything bold in a huge thick beer like this and cuts it's legs off in order to tame it.

The mouthfeel is beautifully thick,and smooth with a carbonation level to match. Since it takes me a good chuck of time to finish a bomber by myself as the beer warms it becomes increasingly more silky and drinkable. This beer; as sweet, thick, and high in alcohol, as it is; is surprisingly drinkable, much more so than it's cousin BCS.

Wow...I either got a bad bottle or this beer just does not agree with me.

A - No head, a touch of lacing on top if you tease it out. Dark brown, with a bit of mahogany around the edges.

S - Boozy with some burnt citrus.

T - Smoke, lots of smoke. The citrus hops try to come through, along with some dark fruit, but I get the overwhelming flavor of smoke It is like grapefruit and some cherries were thrown into a smoker and burnt, then put into a beer. A lot of sweetness remains, a bit of alcohol and bitterness with an acrid bite.

M - Thick and smooth, coats the mouth with a good deal of alcohol warmth. Unfortunate that it coats your mouth nicely with a not so great flavor.

O - While it looks good and has a nice feel, this beer is totally out of balance. Like a RIS that has not been fermented and an IPA mixed with some burnt logs from a fireplace. Not sure I can finish this bottle, so very disappointing coming from Goose Island.

22oz bomber, like the label on this one. Pours into my glass a deep, brooding black with dark brown edges and a half inch of creamy tan head on top. Aromas start off with a blast of citric and piney hops. Resinous with a mix of rich chocolate and espresso notes. Nice and roasted with a mild burnt accent. Quite complex and the bold hops just jump out of this.

First sip brings big malts upfront with a mix of chocolate, espresso and a touch of caramel. Huge hops intertwine bringing loads of citric and piney resins along for the ride. Hop bitterness does a good job of working alongside the malt sweetness here. Flows down with lingering hops and the alcohol is just barely detectable. Tasty stuff. Nothing like hop burps from a RIS!

Mouthfeel is smooth, rich and creamy with a mellow slickness. This is almost too easy to drink for the abv and the sweetness is kept in check well. Overall, this is a pretty damn tasty hopped up RIS. Worth seeking out and possibly even better than I remember it being on tap last year!